Letter: Slow down, be better stewards of the planet

While the speed limit on many Rochester-area expressways is 55 mph or lower, many motorists drive as if 55 were the minimum speed. They should think not only about the danger of speed, but the increase in carbon emissions at higher engine speeds. The recent climate changes, ocean storms, rising sea levels and excessive heat in the West — all have been attributed at least partly to carbon emissions.

That some profit by the sale of high-speed, fast-acceleration roadsters is disheartening. One recent article talked about a Jaguar automobile’s “pure power” and acceleration — but nothing about the excessive carbon emissions at high speeds. The article’s writer and the newspaper seem to disregard the terrible consequences of climate change.

Business profits are very important, but shouldn’t business also be a custodian of the air, the water and the Earth?